Living amid freedom but denied its substance, slaves appropriated the patriotic ideology for their own purposes. The views of conservatives and radicals have also affected definitions of American freedom during its history. For example, during the Civil War era views of American freedom put forth by the Confederacy were blatant in their denial of it to some Americans. In many ways the debates regarding the meanings and boundaries of Americans freedoms and the heated contestations surrounding them have been founded on economic disputes, from the Whigs and Jacksonian Democrats to the Populists and Progressives. Various rights movements in from the 1950 s through the 1970s have advance democratic notions of freedom and liberty and advance them much further than any conception of the founding elites. For instance, Foner explains that "Slavery helped to shape the identity, the sense of self, of all Americans," as it "constituted the most impenetrable boundary of American
Living amid freedom but denied its substance, slaves appropriated the patriotic ideology for their own purposes. The views of conservatives and radicals have also affected definitions of American freedom during its history. For example, during the Civil War era views of American freedom put forth by the Confederacy were blatant in their denial of it to some Americans. In many ways the debates regarding the meanings and boundaries of Americans freedoms and the heated contestations surrounding them have been founded on economic disputes, from the Whigs and Jacksonian Democrats to the Populists and Progressives. Various rights movements in from the 1950 s through the 1970s have advance democratic notions of freedom and liberty and advance them much further than any conception of the founding elites. For instance, Foner explains that "Slavery helped to shape the identity, the sense of self, of all Americans," as it "constituted the most impenetrable boundary of American